Hope you all beat the weather

Phoenix says "Momma, where did all this water come from?"

At least somebody is enjoying it.......

Julie, what a swamp! Where are you pumping the water from and are you pumping it into the pond?

Gwen, That pond is the one at the top of my driveway that was so low when you all visited last year at roundup. It was dug specifically to be a water retention pond, and when it overflows, it runs into the creek behind Phoenix, which in turn runs into a swamp behind my house. We are pumping water out of that swamp, and down into the gully below us, where the natural creek continues (heading for my brother's driveway, which has a raging river next to it right now!). It never even occured to us that we could have a water problem this high up on a hill when we built. Lesson learned....

Wow! Julie I couldn't picture the water problem you have until you posted the photos. Let's hope for a streak of dry weather. Last night the weather people predicted a sunny day today and this morning the forecast is changed to rain today and through the week. I had to pull out some mushy vegetable plants but I'm not complaining after seeing what you are dealing with.

There have been big bumble bees on the weigela by my front porch all through the rainy weather. The rain doesn't seem to phase them too much. You would think the water would weight them down so that they couldn't fly around but I think they crawl into the flowers and stay there until they are a little dried off. They are so industrious!

Today seem nice here today. No rain for me yet that's always a good start I even got to go out and "play" in my garden today.

Having been born in webbed foot country, this wet stuff shouldn't be bothering me . . . but I'm getting downright cranky!

Boy we know it's been tough when a steady drizzle seems like a break in the weather. Where is our sun???

I know... it's unbelievable... I think we all need to up our doses of Vit D during this.....

And I am loving that D - feel sooooo much better since I started.

Me too... I started supplementing about a year ago and noticed an immediate difference in energy... Before then it wasn't unusual for me to take day-trips across the pass just to get some sun... Born and raised in central CA after all... the adjustment was brutal.. but the PNW is green and beautiful and totally worth it!! :)

I'm not a (not) sun lover, really - and I was raised in AK. But I am outside as much as I can be.

I had deep bone pain, joint pain, muscle pain, general irritability and anxiousness - all of which have been greatly reduced in two weeks! I'm amazed and definitely in the pro D-supplements camp.

I used to have that deep bone pain too. Have you been checked for osterporosis? That's what mine was.

No, I haven't. Now that I know my D was very, very low it's certainly an issue. My bone pain is gone now, though, so that's good.

Low D is also implicated in cancers, particularly breast and colon cancer. Since my mom had colon cancer at 87, I wish my doctor had been up to speed and suggested to check it. I actually had to ask HIM to have it measured.

I've started supplementing with calcium now, too. I was bad at remembering vitamins, though I eat pretty healthy (just too much LOL). I feel so much better with this supplement that I don't think I'll ever forget to take it!!

Katie you should still try a bit of sun even with d vits It will help you process it better

I forgot about Vit D - I seem to have forgotten about ALL my vitamins the last few weeks . . . time to get back on them! Thanks for the reminder.

It's still raining but my guy friend and I did our usual Sunday visit to an elderly lady to whom he takes communion. Her son moved in with her a couple years ago to take care of her after a stroke and is still here, bless his heart, Anyway, it's always a lovely visit with them and my spirits went way up. Even after I got home and had to take Spike for his evening walk in the rain (actually just a drizzle!.

Thanks, GC - I'm outside every chance I get. I was out on the weekends all winter at my bros place and at mine. I don't stay in the direct hot sun in summer, but I certainly love it in the winter. Apparently my body just doesn't process it well . . .

Love is so healing, Carole. So your guy friend is a minister?

I work with elderly mostly alzheimers and dementia and its good people like you who really help make there whold day of not week

Oh, that's interesting. My niece is a music therapist and works exclusively with Alzheimer's patients. That is truly God's work. :-)

I love it...I take a pay cut because its not really a hospital but I would never leave. My mom always said if you find meaning and joy when you work you found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

My mother is 90 - just got out of a nursing home because she broke her hip. The are in assisted living. I visited my grandparents in nursing homes. People who good at taking care of the elderly are precious. They are serving not only the elderly, but everyone who loves them!

No, he's not a minister, but is "qualified" to take communion to people. He does hope to be a deacon of the church and is in the process of applying/studying, etc. He's a sweetheart.

My last job, before my husband got ill and I became his caregiver till he died, I was a job coach for developmentally disabled folks. It was the lowest paying, but most rewarding job I ever had. I have only happy memories when I think of those people and the joy they put in my life.

I remember you talking about that. Giving to other people is so rewarding!

It is what life is about...service to others.
When a resident needs help is can often be shameful or embarassing for them to be able to help them feel a little dignity is a blessing. My mother is from alabama and elderly are dear there



edited to fix some spelling

This message was edited May 30, 2010 10:26 PM

That IS nice. For people to take care of and respect their elders.

Truly some of the most important work is the least paid, like taking care of the very old and the very young. My mom worked at a day care for the elderly, most of whom lived with their sons or daughters but could not be left home alone during the day. She worked there until she was 76 and only retired 5 years ago. I think I have a picture of the kids playing bingo with the people there one time I went to visit my folks.

WOW she did a lot of good works there, that's a long time to work anywhere

What a sweet photo!

I love that photo. It just gives me chills. It wasn't that long ago that families all lived together and that this happened in the home. My mother remembers her grandmother, who was blind from cataracts. She lived with them and took care of the kids. But the kids took care of her, too, by getting out of her way when she came into a room so she could sit in her chair and fetching things, doing chores, etc. It was the most normal thing in the world for them. I wish the world was a little more like that now - it's good for the old to see where they've come from and for the young to see and respect where they're headed . . .

and they wonder why drugs and gangs run rampant Parents have no control and all the role models are gone

Oh, I am loving that photo!

When I was growing up my mother's mother lived with us - to this day I remember how wonderful it was . . . how she thought I was the best thing ever and I felt the same way about her. She was the family gardener (her own father having been a gardener on an estate in Ireland and then here in the US as well) and I learned so much just by being with her.

Katie, what kind of D are you taking? I need to start taking it again. My body doesn't process some kinds of D tablets.

Nature made gel caps of D3 (5,000IU) from Safeway. $13 for 90.

I think more ills can probably be solved or at least helped a bit by adequate nutrition. I know I'm not doing very well nutritionally, especially during the winter months when I often grab food on the fly during the day. The only thing that saves me is that our school cafeteria has a decent salad bar. The dizzying array of nutritional supplements one could take confuses me every time I decide I need a multivitamin. I wonder if my D is low. I simply have not gotten outside much lately to take in any light (filtered though it has been with clouds), partly due to feeling tired and overwhelmed by work and life.

I have a bunch of photos from that trip to visit my parents with my son and my niece. We spent a lot of time at my parents' respective work so the kids would have a real experience of their lives and the neighborhood. We played in the park too, went to the beach by Lake Michigan, and visited several museum exhibits (science, art, natural history). It was one of the best vacations I have had.

I haven't ever been a supplement taker, at all - not even a multivitamin. I eat a varied diet, could eat better, but don't eat badly. But it sounds like we all have trouble absorbing D - probably because we live in houses now.

I'd definitely try it, Holly. I could kick myself for not having done it two years ago when I first heard discussions about it.

I have not had much exp wih lilies dun when I was looking one up I found out there just one of the mosr pretty blloms I have ever seen

Sunlight helps more than anything to ubsorb your d vits but it also helps to take your calcium d and some food at the same time. That is how we give it to our pts ....but some only take d on a monthly or weekly basis.
And I know this sounds old but whole milk is the best healthwise. More ca and d with nutriant to help them work.
But ya still need plenty of sun. Even on a cloudy day 15 min should help more than nothing at all

Research has shown that sunlight in our northerly latitude is not sufficient for vitamin D maintenance for most people, even if you spend a lot of time outdoors. It's important to get your level tested and get a recommended dosage from your doctor.

Months ago I was having trouble sleeping and was feeling stressed. Pix told about 5-HTP and after taking it for a few weeks I was feeling much better and sleeping well. I took it for about 3 months. it really did the trick. That Pix is a smart cookie!

Speaking of nutrition stuff - I just learned from the Today show, which I listen to in the mornings while making the bed, etc, that agave raises your triglycerides more than honey or sugar so it's not really such a good thing. Also, the caffeine in coffee can leach calcium from your bones but adding milk or cream to your coffee can take care of that problem.

Yeah, I've read about the controversy concerning agave.... Geez, you try to do right by your blood sugar and you end up doing worse... I'm insulin resistant so I've had to severely limit my sugar intake for years now. The idea of agave was appealing, and the taste was pretty neutral... it's too bad...